Explosive Results
by pdhtgal
Summary: Here is the continuation of what I figure should have happened with the Playing with Fire Episode... N/S, G/C
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Don't own them, wish I could…

A/N: This is what I would like to happen after the next episode _Playing With Fire._ I will leave spoiler space so people who want to wait to read this until after the episode can. Oh! And of course, as usual, it is totally an Nick and Sara fic!

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She heard it, the loud rumbling. She saw it, the orange flame. She felt it, the searing heat, followed by pain, followed by darkness.

She landed with a thump on the ground as the lab behind her exploded. The fear hadn't even had a chance to register in her mind before she was thrown by the blast. When she woke up moments later, the wind knocked out of her, the first thing she felt was pain. Then she smelt the burning chemicals and knew that she had to get out of there. She opened her eyes slowly and was greeted by billowing smoke. She coughed, and began feeling dizzy the moment she inhaled anything. She pushed herself up onto shaky knees, her entire body protesting with each movement she made. Her first thought was to run. But then it hit her. _Greg_. She had to get him out of here too. She couldn't leave him here to die. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she left him. She scanned the immediate area and couldn't see him. Crawling slowly toward the blaze, she had to force herself to go closer, despite the immense heat. _Where is he?_ Her mind was scrambling to make sense of all of this. She crawled on her knees toward where she had thought she had seen Greg just before the lab blew. Her hand came into contact with something soft, and knew that she had found him. She looked down and saw Greg, his face burned. She reached for his arms and started to drag him out with her at a tortoise's pace.   
Sweat broke out onto her forehead, partially because of the fire, partially because of exhaustion. She began to slowly tug him toward the exit. She had to make it. She needed to. For herself and for Greg. She needed to see Nick, to have him hold on to her one more time and never let her go. She let out a sob of frustration as she continued to pull him. She felt like they had gone so far, but they had really just exited the lab and were in the hallway. 

Looking up, she saw the flame start to build again. The chemicals in the lab were slowly starting to ignite and she knew she didn't have much time left. She needed a cart of some kind to be able to get Greg out of there. Her energy level was falling and she could feel the dizziness returning, and darkness was pushing at her brain. Her eyes scanned the area again and through the haze she thought that she saw a gurney that would be used to transport the dead. She groped for it and it took every ounce of energy that she had to get him onto it. She hadn't even known that she could lift something that heavy, but she also knew what adrenaline could do for a person. 

She started down the hall, pushing Greg in front of her. She knew he was close to death, and hadn't stopped to check for a pulse. She didn't even know if he was actually alive or not, but she kept on pushing anyways. She could see the light from the outside shining through an open door. She pushed toward it, making sure Greg got out first. As she opened the door, she heard the explosion behind her and could feel the blast of heat. Her body was propelled forward, pushing into the gurney, as both her and Greg were tossed out the door by the sheer force of the blast. 

Darkness consumed her before she hit the ground.****

**~~Outside~~**

Nick parked his Tahoe at record speed as he saw the flames shooting out of the CSI building. He knew that Sara was in there, he could feel it. He had just been talking with her, telling her to tell Greg to get ready to process a bunch of his evidence. Grissom, Catherine and Warrick were right behind him and they all ran for the building. Catherine was the first to reach the door and felt the door handle. She pulled her hand back as soon as she touched the red-hot handle. 

She moved her head to the side, as if she had heard something moving. She could hear someone muttering. She waved Nick closer to find out for sure if it was Sara. 

"Sara!" Nick cried and took off his Forensics Jacket and wrapped it around the handle. It all happened at the same time. Nick reached to pull the handle and started pulling the door open when Sara pushed the gurney through it. Nick was thrown backwards at the same force that Sara was thrown forward. Greg's gurney pushed on, right toward Catherine and Grissom. 

Nick stood up and moved to Sara's side. "Sara?" He whispered. "Wake up. Sara?" His voice began choking with emotion. He picked her up and carried her further from the building, wanting to keep her as safe as possible.

He lay her on the grass on the other side of the parking lot. "Sara? Honey, I need you to wake up for me." His eyes welled up with tears when he got no response. "I need you Sara. Don't leave me, please." He began sobbing as he bent over her, his head on her chest. He stayed like that for a few moments until her felt a hand brushing his hair. The hand was shaky, and he felt the movement underneath him. He pulled his head up. "Sara?"

Sara stared at him with watery eyes. "I'm here Nicky." She whispered, not daring to move anymore. Any pain accompanied any movement.

"Sara, I…" He said, his relief obvious.

Sara nodded, her own tears spilling down her cheeks. "Greg?"

"Don't know… Catherine and Grissom are with her now. You saved his life."

"Alive?"

"Yes, he's alive Sara. Because of you."

Sara nodded again, but it was all too much for her. "Sleepy."

Nick nodded, but he knew that she shouldn't be going to sleep. "Sara, you can't go to sleep. You hit your head in the explosion."

She nodded again. "O… Okay." She sighed. "Talk."

"You want me to talk to you about something?"

She nodded.

"Did I ever mention my family to you?"

She nodded but waved him on, urging him to continue.

"Well, let's see… I have my Mom and Dad, my four older sisters and an older brother. They're all married and my parents have started asking me when it's going to be my turn." He chuckled to himself. "At my sister Gracie's wedding, the groom's ex-girlfriend showed up, and Gracie beat the living tar out her. It seems that the ex had left the groom many years ago, leaving him broken hearted and broke. Gracie didn't exactly warm up to her. It made for rather interesting wedding photos."

Sara tried laughing, but began coughing instead.

Nick looked at her concerned. "Sara?"

Her coughing fit soon ended, and she stared back at him. "Paramedics?" She asked hopefully.

"They are on their way."

That was enough for her. She believed him. She had to.

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A/N: This fic is going to be a short one, lasting maybe 2 or 3 parts. I am so looking forward to this week's episode!!! 

F.Y.I: The CSI: Crime Scene Investigation PC game is awesome : o)


	2. Chapter 2 Changes

Disclaimer: I don't own them

A/N: Awesome replies! Thanks a bunch. Okay, first, I really enjoyed the episode last night… But wasn't too happy when she asked him out. But I was very happy when he said no. Move over Grissom, make room for Nick… :o)

Also, part of the fic still has some stuff (sort of, I guess) from the Playing with Fire episode.

On with the show…

~~The Hospital~~

Sara lay in her hospital bed, looking out the window, watching the rain hit the window. She had always found the sound of rain falling relaxing, and it was just what she needed right now. She sighed heavily, looking from the window, down to her bandaged hand, and then back out the window. She couldn't wait to get back on the job. She wanted to find out who did this. She wanted to make sure that justice was brought. Sure, it was probably an accident. That's what every criminal says at the beginning. They always think it's an accident. Only one problem with pre-meditated accidents. They usually fall through.

"Sara." Catherine said, making Sara snap out of her reverie. "What's with the scowl?"

"Just thinking about something." She sighed again. "How's Greg?" She asked, the condition of her friend had never really been told to her.

"He's going to be fine. He is burned, but will definitely survive." Catherine held her hands together and shrugged her shoulders. "You saved his life."

"I could leave him there to die, Cath. It wouldn't have been right." Sara said, turning to look back out the window. 

Catherine nodded. "I know that, I would have felt the same. But it was still brave. You risked your own life to save his…" She sat down, tears forming in her eyes. She sighed. "I have something to tell you, and well, I know you won't react well."

Sara nodded, allowing her to continue. "Whatever it is that you have to tell me, Catherine, I'll understand, I'm sure."

Catherine shook her head. "I don't know about that."

"What is it?" Sara asked, looking at her friend's face, not sure what to make of her expression.

"I was my fault."

"What was your fault?" Sara asked, not quite sure what Catherine was getting to.

"The explosion. It was my fault."

"How? I mean, what did you do?"

"I placed a solution of some form in the fume hood for over night storage. Apparently there was a hot plate on underneath it."

Sara stared at her. "And you call that your fault?"

"I put the solution there, so according to everyone it's my fault. They put me on suspension."

Sara stared at her, her mouth agape. "But you're one of the best investigators out there. I mean, what did they say when you mentioned that you didn't know that there was a hot plate on underneath the fume hood?"

Catherine sighed. "They said that I should have been more careful, and that I was suspended without pay for 5 days." Catherine looked at Sara, her eyes brimming with tears. "God, Sara, ever since Eddie died, I've been trying hard to keep Lyndsey's mind on other things. Schoolwork, movies, sports… But it's been such an emotionally draining time for me that I don't know what to do anymore." She dropped her head into her hands. "I think I'm losing it, Sara. I really do."

Sara motioned for her to sit on the bed next to her. "Trust me Catherine, you are not losing it. Anyone who would had to have endured the amount of stress that you have endured, would probably not have done such a good job at it." Sara suddenly realized that all of the anger she had been holding toward whoever had caused the explosion was gone.  

Catherine nodded and smiled a little. "Thank you." _But you're wrong Sara. I haven't handled it well at all…_ Catherine thought to herself.

"You're welcome." 

Catherine sighed. "Now I must go and tell Greg…"

"Don't worry about it. He won't be mad. I promise."

"Don't make promises that you can't keep." Catherine said, and turned and left the room.

~Later that Day~~

Sara sighed as Nick placed her on her bed at home. She had been released and couldn't be happier about it. "Nick? Stay with me, please?"

Nick smiled and kicked off his shoes. "Only for a little while. My shift starts in 4 hours."

Sara nodded. "I know. But just for bit."

Nick smiled as they cuddled on her bed. "Nick? Did Catherine tell you that it was her that caused the explosion?"

"Yes, she did."

"I hope she doesn't feel too bad about it. I wasn't mad at her, and I'm sure Greg wasn't."

"She's mad at herself, Sara." Nick said, and he could feel her relax against him. 

"I wish she wouldn't be. She did nothing wrong." 

"I think it stems further than we think, Sar."

Sighing, Sara agreed. "Maybe you're right Nick… Maybe you're right."

~~Catherine's House~~

She was tearing through the kitchen and living room, emptying all the bottles in the sink and then throwing them out. She had to get them out of her sight. She couldn't stand the sight of them anymore. No more Vodka to wash the pain away. No more Brandy for when she couldn't sleep. No more late night shots of Tequila. It was over. Her drinking was starting to affect her job and that was something that she promised herself it would never do. She was going to change. Everything was going to change. Starting now.

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A/N: Okay, so I wasn't really planning on having the story go this route. I was only planning on making it a three part story… But I'm thinking maybe I need to make it a little longer, especially after the last paragraph… 

Anyhoo, R&R! Thanks a bunch!  


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